Blackouts, ferry disruption and fallen trees as Storm Austen hits France

Storm Austen has left at least 161,000 homes without electricity in north-west France, as Météo-France has placed 23 departments on orange weather alert for strong winds today, October 23.

The first named storm of this season has brought strong gusts, with monthly records broken in Brittany and Pays de la Loire. Wind speeds of 158km/h were recorded on the coastal island of Ouessant (Finistère) and 161 km/h at Pointe du Raz, a promontory that extends into the Atlantic from the Breton coast. Winds reached 131km/h at Ploumanac’h (Côtes-d’Armor).

Around 128,000 homes were without power in Brittany, 19,000 in Pays de la Loire and 14,000 in Normandy as of 7:00 on Friday.

In Finistère alone, 57,200 homes were without electricity following the storm, the prefecture said in a post on X.

It added that Enedis employees, France’s electricity network operator, were ready to intervene once weather conditions allowed it.

Fallen trees also blocked roads in the department, leading to 105 interventions by the departmental council and 45 by the fire and rescue service since midnight.

Road traffic has also been disrupted by restrictions on several bridges in Seine-Maritime. The prefecture warned that conditions on the Pont de Normandie, Pont de Tancarville and Pont de Brotonne would be heavily affected today.

In Saint-Joseph, Manche, a tree also fell onto the RN13, blocking one lane in the direction of Caen from Cherbourg, leading to traffic disruption.

Trees may be more vulnerable following recent drought, which can weaken roots, while recent rainfall has locally softened the ground. Even gusts of 70-90km/h can bring down branches or uproot weakened trees. Residents are advised to avoid forests, parks and exposed coastal areas during the storm.

Train services have also been disrupted. In Normandy, all rail services are suspended throughout Friday, with a gradual resumption expected from Saturday afternoon, depending on weather conditions.

In Brittany and Hauts-de-France, some regional TER services have been cancelled, with delays expected on routes that remain in operation.

Preventive measures have also been taken in many parts of the country, including the Paris region, so people are advised to check whether their journey will go ahead before leaving.

Cross-channel ferry routes have also been affected with Irish Ferries cancelling services between Cherbourg and Dublin on Thursday and Friday, and with one route cancelled Saturday.

While some of Brittany Ferries UK routes to the Channel islands have been affected, routes connecting France and England are still running, although with delays in some cases. DFDS, meanwhile, cancelled its high-speed ferry service linking Jersey to St Malo for the remainder of the week and throughout the weekend.

Anyone planning to sail on a cross-channel route in the next few days is advised to check the ferry company's website for updates. 

Eurostar services to London, Brussels and Amsterdam could also be affected.

Air travel has also been affected, with several flights cancelled at Nantes-Atlantique airport on Friday morning.

Weather today and departments on orange alert

Météo-France has placed 23 departments on orange alert for strong winds and 49 on yellow alert.

The departments on orange alert are Aisne, Calvados, Côtes-d’Armor, Eure, Finistère, Ille-et-Vilaine, Loire-Atlantique, Manche, Morbihan, Nord, Oise, Orne, Pas-de-Calais, Paris, Seine-Maritime, Seine-et-Marne, Yvelines, Somme, Essonne, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne and Val-d’Oise.

Storm Austen is moving quickly between the English Channel and southern Britain, and is expected to encroach further into northern France as the day progresses.

Météo-France forecasts gusts of 100-110km/h inland in Brittany and Normandy, potentially reaching 120km/h in exposed areas. Coastal areas could see gusts of 130-140km/h.

The strong winds are expected to spread towards Hauts-de-France and the outskirts of Paris, where gusts could reach 100km/h. Winds of 70-80km/h, locally 90km/h, are also possible across much of the northern half of the country.

The winds should gradually weaken towards the end of Friday.

Much of France is expected to be rainy Friday, with showers continuing throughout the day.

Parts of the Mediterranean coast, though, will remain drier and brighter, although tramontane winds could still reach 70-90km/h.

Temperatures will remain cool for the season, with afternoon highs between 12C and 17C across much of the country. Mediterranean coastal areas will be warmer, with temperatures reaching 18C-24C.

Residents should monitor the situation and keep up to date with the latest weather information.

Our article here explains how to do so.

Will the weather improve over the weekend?

Saturday (October 24) is expected to remain unsettled, with another spell of strong winds forecast in north-west France following storm Austen.

Gusts could reach 60-80km/h across the north-west, locally reaching 90km/h. Rain will move across western France towards central areas.

Météo-France has issued yellow alerts for eight departments on Saturday: Côtes-d’Armor, Finistère, Manche, Nord, Pas-de-Calais, Seine-Maritime and Somme, as well as Haute-Corse.

Temperatures are forecast to reach 11C-16C in most areas, rising to around 18C near the Mediterranean.

Sunday (October 25) is expected to bring further rain to eastern and south-western France, while brighter spells should gradually return in the north-west. Winds, however, are expected to continue near the English Channel.

Morning temperatures should range from 9C to 14C, with afternoon highs of 13C-18C and locally higher temperatures near the Mediterranean.